Rigorous Relationships

Get Out Of Dodge (Part 1)

After their encounter with Team Shade and the mysterious Agent Charger, along with a rather refreshing meal; the girls decide to hurry back to the rest of their group before anything else happened. Practically sprinting, the trio rushed back to the clinic, with a few leftovers from their meal, and down the hall to the boys room.

As they reached the room they heard what sounded like someone crying loudly and, fearing the worst, burst into the room armed with throwing pastries. What they found however was the complete opposite of the dire situation they had been expecting.

The crying, or the laughing as it were, was coming from Cal and Braxien, who were joyously admiring her handy work. Sitting across from them was a Pikachu faced glamafied Serena, who was less than pleased with Dena's and Braxien's artistic design.

"Well, well, well. Look who finally came back to admire her apprentices workmanship!" There was an obvious bite in Serena's words that Dena completely brushed aside with a shrug.

"We got side tracked by some weirdos trying to kidnap us and one who saved us, then bought us pastries; speaking of which we brought some back for you."

Dena tossed Serena a brown bag with a pair of sweet croissants and a chocolate muffin, which she caught with a pair of colorful nails. "Hmm, the little Pokémon on her nails are a nice touch, Braxien." Dena commented on her protégés extra effort.

"Enough about my nails." Serena ordered, a slightly peeved edge residing in her tone. "Tell me what happened with the kidnapers."

"Wait, who got kidnaped?" Ash asked in confusion, as he walked into the room carrying a small metal box.

"No one's been kidnaped. But what's up with the med-box?" Diana asked.

"Serena needed something to whip the marker off her face, thanks by the way, and she refused to go out with it on."

"You try walking around with a Pokémon face painted across your face and see how helpful people are." Serena huffed, as if having a Pokémon face was a common occurrence for her.

"Right. At any rate Cal and Braxien were of no help, leaving me to ask the nurses for some supplies to clean her face." Ash began opening up the med kit and unpacking some cleaning supplies. "Oh and while I was there the nurses told me someone had spiked the food and drinks with Rage Powder. They said the police couldn't press charges until the culprit is found and that we're free to go whenever we're ready.

"Then we should get out of dodge as fast as we can." Dena said, a level of maturity in her statement that was rather unlike her, and made her request ever more urgent in appearance.

Ash had been dabbling a cloth with rubbing alcohol, but turned his attention away from his task to address Dena's statement. "What's with the sudden desire to leave? We've barely even seen half the city."

Aura frowned sourly at his statement, "And the half that you have seen now has a new burnt spot and a cave in." She knew she was being unfair to him, since both times had been caused by Team Shades mischief; but she was feeling rather bitter after losing her home.

Ash decided to take Aura's retort as an expression of her loss and didn't hold it against her. "I suppose trouble does have a way of following us. It would probably be in the cities best interest if we left asap."

Diana nodded in agreement before saying, "Not to mention there's a deranged woman hunting for us and our movements are rather restricted down here."

Serena couldn't look at Diana due to Ash cleaning the marker off her face but her tone conveyed her frustration. "Is this woman part of your potential kidnappers, whom three have yet to tell us about!"